Fluorinated alcohols are generally prepared by reacting a fluorinated iodide and ethylene with oleum or n-methyl formaldehyde (NMF) followed by hydrolysis. Oleum is a strong oxidant and very corrosive. NMF requires high temperature heating for a prolonged time. One means to avoid use of such materials is the reaction of a fluorinated iodide with ethyl vinyl ether in aqueous acetonitrile in the presence of sodium dithionite and sodium bicarbonate to form acetaldehydes, followed by conversion of the acetaldehydes via a reduction in the presence of sodium borohydride to a mixture of alcohols, acids and esters as reported by Huang, Wei-Yuan et al., Chinese Journal of Chemistry (1990), (3), 281-288. This method then requires treatment of the mixture to obtain the alcohol.
It is desired to have a process for producing fluorinated alcohols without the use of harsh materials or conditions such as required when using oleum and NMF. It is also desired to have a process for producing fluorinated alcohols using simpler starting materials and milder reaction conditions. It is also desired to have a process that is more selective for alcohols, and does not yield predominately a mixture of alcohols, acids, and esters. The present invention provides such a process.